Cigarette package opener



H. N., DREIS CIGARETTE PACKAGE OPENER Aug. 12, 1941.

Filed Aug. 15, 195e y l/v VENTML /ff/wrr M M515. v y /7//5 /lrrQi/'vfy Patented Aug. 12, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE `oidAnlrrfrli PACKAGE OPENER Henry N. Dreis, Duluth, Application August 15, 193s, serial No. 224,859

2 Claims.

This invention relates to package opening devices and is particularly adapted for use in connection with the opening of the convention-a cigarette package.

Practically every brand of cigarette on the market today is wrapped in a package which includes layers of paper and metal foil with a rev` enue stamp sealing the top of the package and an outer cover formed from a sheet of transparent material usually formed from derivatives of cellulose, this outer wrapper being sealed and extremely resistant to tearing. To open such a package it is Ynecessary to either laboriously remove the cellulosic outer wrapper by separating the sealed seams thereof orvcut away a portion of the outer wrapper before the foil and paper can be opened up. Furthermore, it is common practice to tear away only a portion of the upper cornerof the package to expose only a small part of the interior thereof with the result that the revenue stamp or seal is frequently left intact. i

Another object of the invention is to provi-de' means for holding the package Vrigidly during the cutting operation, but at the same time permit easy removal of the package from the device when the cutting operation has been completed.

A further object of the invention is the pro vision Voi' a device which can be operated With one hand without removing the hand from portions of the package which are not being cut so that the entire operation is greatly simplified.

vi outwardly and upwardly through said rectangun A still further object of the invention is the provision of means for receiving the cut away portions of the package along with cutting means which will positively direct these cut-away portions into the receiving means.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention'will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like refer# ence characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the views, and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation in vertical section showing the cigarette package and the package receiving means in an alternate position in dotted lines; n

1 I. It is," therefore, a general object of my inven- 10, vertical side walls 6, a bottom l, and a slanting forward wall 8. Extending outwardly from adn jacent the sid-e edges of the forward wall '8 are oppositely disposed -channeled strips 9 which are adapted to actas guide ways. A package receiving element which includes the longitudinal sides Ill` has ribs II extending along said sides and received Within the channeled elements 9 in slidable relation thereto.` The side walls I0 of the receiver are separated by brace elements I2 which slant Idownwardly toward opposite ends of the `slidabl-e package receiver rand have disposed between them a pair of parallel transverse positioned package holding cross pieces I3, the latter being spaced to some extent from the outer face of the front wall 8 of the base receptacle. .A

helical Aspring I II has one end secured to the underside of the slanting front face 8 of the base receptacle as by a screw I5, and the other end of said spring is secured to a screw I6 which is threaded into the inner edge of the lowermost of the package holding cross pieces I3. The spring is adapted to hold the receiver lnormally in the upper position shown in full lines in Fig. 1,. The elongated slot I'I in the slanting front wall 8 permits movement of the screw I5.

lTllfeslanting front wall is provided with a rectangular cut-out I8, as best shown in Fig. 3, and a cutter blade I9 which is secured on the inner side of the slanting front wall 8 is curved lar cut-out and thence for a short distance parallel to the outer surface of said slanting wall 8 a slight distance outwardly from the plane of said surface. It will be noted that the cutter Ill has a blade 20 which is formed on a diagonal line to assist in its cutting action. The cutter I9 as shown in the drawings is so positioned that when a package of cigarettes and the like is placed in between the package holding cross elements I3, and the package receiver as a whole is pulled downwardly said cutter will shear awaxr a corner portion of said paglgige along the lines shown in hatched section in Fig, 4.

The cutter I9 being positioned parallel to the end of the package in the receiver will, of course,

cut only vertical or substantially vertical walls of the package, and it is necessary to have a second cutter 2| which is positioned at rightangles to the cutter I9 in the manner indicated in the drawing to make a cut across the end of the package along the line 22 in Fig. 4. The cutter 2l is secured by a bolt 23 which extends through a block 24 suitably secured on the inner side of the slanting wall 8. In View of the fact that the edge of the cutter opposite to its sharpened edge rests against a shoulder 25 of the block 24 it is necessary to use only one cutter securing bolt to hold the cutter blade rigidly in.

its proper position. Of course, a slot 26 is pro-` vided through the slanting wall 8 to lpermit the cutter 2l to extend through said wall.

In parallel spaced relation to the slot-264 isa similar slot 21 through which projects athird:

cutting blade 23, the latter lying approximately along the longitudinal center of the slantingl front wall 8. The cutter 28 is securedjon the opposite side of the block 24 from the cutter 2| and is rigidly held by the bolt 23 in the same manner as said cutter 2I The cuttingv blade 28-is adapted to cut through that portion of the revenue stamp or seal 29, this Cut being illustrated Vat 30 in Fig. 4. Thus the seal or revenue stamp.

is mutilated so that it cannot be used again. It

will be noted in Fig. 1 that the seal cutting blade 28 is placed with its cutting edge at a slight angle with respect to the front face of the slanting wall- 8, the upper portion of the edge of said yblade being below the outer surface of said slanting wall, and the lower portion of the cutting edge of the blade being above the outer surface of: said slanting wall 8. This provides for extremely eiiicient cutting of the package. It should also be noted that the spaced cutting blade 2| is held at a similar angle.

From the foregoing description it will beiseen that when a package P is placed in the receiver between the cross members I3 and the entire receiver pulled downwardly against the actionof the spring I4, the package will be out in the manner indicated in Fig. 4 in but a single operation.

It is necessary only to draw the receiver down,`` then release it and remove the package and an= end portion of said package will be cut. away and the seal or revenue stamp will be mutilated.4

That portion of the package which is cutaway will be deflected by the curved portion of the cut.v

ter I9 and positively deilect into the interior of the waste receiving chamber formed between rel.- atively stationary bases. This will preventthose portions of the package which have been cut away from falling to the outer side of the slanting front wall 8 and possibly jamming the slidable package receiver. To permit removal of waste from the interior of the stationary base one of the side walls 6 may have hinges 3I so that said base can be opened.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An opener for cigarette packages and the like comprising a box-like receptable having a slanting face thereon, a pair of cutters supported by said receptacle adjacent said slanting face and p positioned' substantially at right-angles to each other, a cigarette package receiver slidably mountedv on said slanting face, said receiver including a compartment adapted to hold a package of cigarettes and the like substantially at right-angles to said slanting face, said movable receiver being constructed to permit movement of a package `to beY opened `toA Acutting engagement with saidcutters,` one of said. cutters 4beingso. positioned relative to said movable receiver that it will engage and` cut side wall portions of a package, and said other cutter being so.v positioned that it will`come into cutting engagement with an end wall portion. of said-package and said cutters being soY positioned relative toeach other thatthe cuts in said packageewill intersect.,

v 2. An opener for sealed cigarette packages comprising a trackway, a package holder supported by said trackway for movement relative thereto, a substantially, vertical cutting blade vdisv posed longitudinally of said trackway and spaced. inwardly a short distance from a side thereof,I

said cutting blade having its edge portion disposed at an incline tov said trackway, said inclined cutting edge being so positioned as to l engage a cigarette package moved in said holder between the endsfof said cutting edge and to penetrate only a sufficient distance into said packageto cut its walls, anda second cutting blade rigidlymou'nted Awith respect to said first cutting'blade and supported by lsaid trackway,

said second cutting blade being disposed at a plane normal to that of saidV first cutting blade and having its cutting edge portions extending only between the line of said first cutting bladev and the adjacent side of said trackway, the cutt height` as the higher end of said inclined rst 4 cutting blade.

HENRY N. DREIS. 

